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The CSF Staff
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Greg Swinney
Statewide Ministry
Director / Senior Campus Minister
Has it been that long?
Twenty-two years ago, Greg was a minister in Oakley, Kansas when he was
invited to move to Kearney and serve as Campus Minister at the Lighthouse.
He and his wife, Laurie, packed up their belongings and headed north with
their then toddler daughter, Beth to experience life on the UNK campus.
Greg brought with his an
undergraduate degree from Nebraska Christian College and a graduate degree
from Cincinnati Christian Seminary, and dove head first into the role of
campus minister. His academic background, his love for college
students, and desire to grow the Kingdom have equipped him to lead CSF in
his current role as Statewide Ministry Director. He has since added a
second graduate degree from the University of Nebraska - and a son, Nathan
to his list of accomplishments.
 Greg’s role with CSF is that of
an equipper of the staff and student leaders and one who will assist
in casting the vision for the organization of reaching the 65,000
college students of Nebraska and in other parts of the world.
This work keeps him very mobile, traveling to Omaha, Lincoln, and
Norfolk to step into teaching roles and offering guidance and
encouragement to the CSF staff on those campuses.
Over the years Greg has worked to provide quality materials for
Bible study and personal spiritual growth. His writings have found
their way into publications such as the Christian Standard, the
Lookout Magazine, and the Nebraska Speech Communication Journal.
Most recently his book, The Solid Foundations Spiritual Notebook,
(now with over ten thousand in print) was published by Standard
Publishing. Available through Amazon.com, this book gives an
individual a tool to help grow spiritual through journaling.
The Joyful Surrender, a personal study on the biblical
teaching on baptism, has found it's way to individuals and Christian
colleges across the country. His book Taking Education
Higher is used as a textbook on several campuses in classes
preparing students for campus ministry, |
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Dan Walter,
UNL Campus Minister
Since joining
the staff at CSF in July of 2000, Dan tells of how God has
been teaching him so many things......here are just a few he
talks about..........
"First, remember where you’ve come from. I attended UNL back
in the early 1990’s (How many years it took really isn’t
relevant). When I was 21 years old, I came to the
realization that I was spiritually bankrupt. I had been
running my own life for about five years, and wasn’t doing a
very good job of it. It was the ministry of CSF that helped
me re-focus on God and on His plan for my life. I want to
remember every day I go to campus that there’s a 21 year old
kid somewhere on campus going through exactly what I went
through, and be available to help them get on track with
God.
Second, remember who means the most to me. First, I’m amazed
by our God and how He richly blesses life and what a ride
relationship with Him is. I’m still blown away by the fact
that the creator of everything desires so much to know us
and have us know Him. After Him is my family. God has
blessed me with such a wonderful wife. On our wedding day,
July 16, 1994, I knew that I had achieved one of the
greatest coup’s of all time. Since that time, God has
blessed us with Lindsay (born August 10, 2000) and Gabe
(born June 19, 2003). To think that God would entrust kids
to me!
Third, remember why you do what you do. I absolutely love
campus ministry. When I think of where our students are
going, what they’re learning, and how they’re living life, I
get so excited. We have an opportunity to radically change
the business, educational, governmental, financial,
scientific and philosophical establishments of the world—not
to mention the Church, through the students that we minister
to. What an honor! What a responsibility!
Fourth, HAVE FUN! The Christian life isn’t meant to be dull.
We’re meant to enjoy life to the fullest! To help people
recognize that is a blast!
Finally, don’t be so long winded. Still working on that one...." |
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 Kyle Dellevoet, UNK Campus Minister
Kyle is excited to be called
"The New Guy" on the CSF staff. In July 2007, he and Jody moved to Kearney
with their three young sons, and within 48 hours he was headed off to
Indiana with a vanload of students for the National Student Leadership
Conference. The whirlwind started when he felt called to leave his
position at Campus Life in Lincoln and return to UNK where he had received
his undergraduate degree just a few years ago. Actively involved in
CSF through his college years in Kearney, he knows from the inside out how
critical this campus ministry is to the students at UNK.
After graduation, he continued
to be involved with CSF as a prayer partners and mission trip sponsor.
When the opportunity came to join the staff, Kyle recalled, "It was 12
years ago this fall, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I pulled up
to Centennial Towers West with a few boxes full of belongings and a million
questions, hopes, and fears. That fall UNK became my new home. For a small
town boy it was a little overwhelming: a new school, a roommate I had never
met before, and a
 brand
new faith that was only a couple months old. It didn’t take long to realize
that college would throw hundreds of choices in my direction. Thankfully,
with the help of a good friend, one of the first choices that I made was to
become involved with Christian Student Fellowship. Looking back now I can
honestly say that only a handful of decisions in my life have been as
important as that one."
Kyle now brings his passion for
worship, teaching, and discipling young people to the CSF team.
Welcome, Kyle!
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 Rachel
Charley, UNK Women's Ministry Director
Rachel Charley joined the
CSF team in 2005 as an intern, but it was apparent from the beginning,
she was made of something "special." When her internship was not
even completed, the Board of Directors eagerly invited her to come on
staff as Women's Ministry Director for CSF at UNK. Living on the
girls' floor at CSF the first several months gave her a unique insight
into the hopes, dreams, and struggles of the young women on the UNK
campus. Hailing from Maryville, Missouri, she grew up rooting for the
Northwest Bearcats - and still does - but Rachel is settling into the
"Husker nation" quite well.
After
attending Northwest Missouri State University for a year, Rachel soon
decided her plans to pursue a degree in business management were not what
God had planned for her. She transferred to Ozark Christian College to
prepare for campus ministry, and graduated in May of 2005, eager to jump in
with both feet.
Rachel
knows well the rewards and challenges of living a life of ministry as her
dad, Roger, has been serving as a campus  minister
for 20 plus years. She has experienced first hand the kind of impact that
God has on the University Campus and knows from the inside how important
this crucial mission field is to the growth of God's Kingdom.
Rachel
says, "College years are a pivotal part of everyone's life. For many, it
is the point in their life when they must decipher between living their
parents' faith, and defining their own. It is so exciting to see students
desire to dig deeper into God's word! They continually challenge me as I
watch their faith become real and personal, and to see them seeking God's
will for their life in everything they do."
When
spare time is available - which is not often for those in campus ministry -
Rachel enjoys "Quick Trip!" (yes, the convenience store), hanging out with
people, playing and watching sports, road tripping, and playing hostess.
So if you are ever in the area, you are welcome to stop on by to say hi and
experience her gift of hospitality first hand!
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Jenny
Maestas, UNL Women's Ministry Director
Since the fall of 1997, Jenny says, "My life has changed because
of campus ministry!" As a freshman in college,
she met Jesus for the first time and the people at
Christian Student Fellowship were there to help her
grow as a Christian from the beginning. Through her college
years at UNK, Jenny grew in wisdom of God’s Word, was
stretched in service to Him through mission trips,
and learned the ins and outs of ministry while
serving as a student intern for CSF.
In the summer of 2001, with a degree in Psychology
under her belt, Jenny
packed her bags and moved to Lincoln. Because her life
had been so profoundly impacted by CSF, she decided to
allow God to use her to impact the lives of students
at UNL. To quote Jenny, "What a wild ride it has been!"
 When asked to list a few of
her favorite things about being a
campus minister, Jenny lists.........Helping students see their
potential ........... discover their gifts...... and apply
them to where God is working ......Seeing a young woman
I have invested in and discipled, turn around and
invest in a younger student ....... Getting students
excited about missions and helping them find a place
where they can serve overseas, or even in their
backyard .....
Looking at all of these blessings,
Jenny says, "I
realize that a great job I have!" And
some excitement has again entered Jenny's life
...... she became Mrs. Nick Maestas in June 2007! |
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 Julie DeFor, Ministry
Coordinator,
Northeast Community College, Norfolk
Julie DeFor has spent
most of her life around college student as her dad, Bill
Miller, has taught at Nebraska Christian College for over 40
years. She practically grew up in the dorms at NCC, then
went to college herself, supported her husband through his
master’s degree and now is teaching at a college.
Julie has spent the last three years as the Drama Instructor at
Nebraska Christian College in Norfolk, Nebraska, enjoying
every minute with the kids. The result has been the
development of deep mentoring relationships with many of her
students. This experience - coupled with her passion
for the lost - has led her to the CSF position of
Campus Minister at Northeast Community College in Norfolk.
She is ready for the challenge and excited about what God is
doing at Northeast.
Her
husband, Tim, is the Associate Minister at First Christian
Church in Norfolk. They have hosted small groups in their
home for about seven years and love to entertain guests.
They plan to use this gift while ministering to the students
at Northeast.
Julie says, “Campus
ministry is where God has led me to serve Him. It's a place
where He moves in the lives of students so powerfully and
has chosen to place me in their paths. I don't want to be
anywhere else! The time we spend together like Tuesday
night services, service projects, Bible Studies, and mission
trips are truly life-changing experiences. God meets us
where we are, sin and all, and builds a community where we
can be real, get to know each other and support each other
on campus. I hope that you will support CSF with your
prayers. God loves these students so much and so do I."
Tim
and Julie have four kids: Keriann (11), Marshall (9), Grant
(6), and Lauren (3). When she is not busy with Tim and the
kids, she enjoys hanging out with her college students,
reading Scripture, exercising, crafting, decorating,
singing, and having coffee with her girlfriends. |
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Michael Poyzer, UNO Campus Minister
Michael has been
doing campus ministry for three years at the University of
Nebraska in Omaha, and if you were ever to see him on
campus, you would see him with a half-full cup of coffee and
two or three Christian growth or Christian living books in
his bag. He loves to read, and he loves to hear
stories - especially from students whose lives have been
impacted by the CSF ministry. Michael describes the
feeling like this, " Have you ever sat down with a great
book- you know the kind I am talking about. You laugh
out loud, cry a little, and when you come to the end you
just want to smile with joy. For me that is what campus
ministry is like. You get introduced to some really great
characters and, just like a book, you get to see them
develop and grow and before you know it, the story is coming
to a close and all you can say is, “that was great, I can’t
wait to start the next story. You see, each
student who comes to CSF brings their story, and sitting
down with them to listen is one of my greatest
blessings...."
 Michael
and his wife, Jillian have been married three years, and
enjoy the CSF ministry and their home in Omaha. He
recalls some of the most enjoyable moments of his life as
being on a college campus. He met his wife there, met
some of his best friends, and it is the one place he gets to
see students develop their own faith. What a joy to
have confidence in knowing that when their college years are
completed, they will go out and do great things for the
Kingdom!
Michael joined the CSF Staff in 2004
after his graduation from Nebraska Christian College with a
degree in Family Life Ministry. He also attended Wayne
State College where he was instrumental in starting a campus ministry.
While in Norfolk, Michael and Christy worked closely to start the CSF
ministry on the campus at Northeast Community College. There was little doubt
in Michael's mind that he would enter full-time ministry as
he felt the call on his heart.
Michael and Jillian enjoy the challenges college students bring to the table
everyday , and look forward to working with students through
each one, helping students find God’s role in
their life.
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 Mike
Hatten, Men's Campus Minister
Northeast Community College, Norfolk |
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Student Interns for 2007-8 School Year
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